The present invention relates to a multipurpose double barrel syringe. More particularly, the invention relates to a multipurpose double barrel syringe and a method of manufacture of same.
Venipuncture, along with the intravenous administration of radiopharmaceuticals, is an intricate part of a nuclear medicine technologist's profession. Whether injections are made promptly by an experienced technologist or throughout the day by attending and house staff physicians, expedient technique is a necessity. There are negative and positive pressures exerted between the first, or outer, cylinder of a first, or outer, syringe, and the second, or inner, cylinder of a second, or inner, syringe. This causes the opposite cylinder to draw in material or discharge its contents at the wrong time.
When the outer cylinder of a known double barrel syringe is loaded through its needle, a negative pressure is created which tends to draw the contents of the inner cylinder into the outer cylinder or vial used to fill the outer cylinder. Furthermore, when the needle is used in a vein, there is a negative pressure, or suction, exerted by the blood passing in the vein. This has a sucking or drawing effect on the needle of the inner cylinder and the subsequent contents of the inner cylinder which causes a discharge of the inner cylinder without manual pressure being applied to its piston plunger. Once the first needle is in the vein, when the piston plunger of the outer cylinder is manually drawn back, as required, this effect of unintended discharge of the inner cylinder is greatly magnified. Also, when the contents of the outer cylinder are discharged, a positive pressure effect is created due to the resistance against the discharge. This causes a backup of the contents of the outer cylinder, which are trying to be discharged into the inner cylinder, which has not yet been discharged.
An injectable material is frequently required to be followed by a flushing material, other than in just nuclear medicine, in X-ray procedures, where dyes are rapidly injected and pictures taken, as in angiography.
Frequently, dual injections are required, but the two drug contents of the two cylinders cannot be mixed prior to administration.
Whenever an antagonistic test is performed, wherein a strong drug is administered to bring on an attack or reaction in a patient for diagnosis of disease, the antidote or neutralizing agent or drug must be administered immediately.
It may be necessary to have an intravenous drug immediately available for a critically ill patient.
Sometimes, the use of two syringes is indicated in a situation where a two or three way stopcock would be indicated.
It is often necessary to purposely mix and/or incubate a material with the blood of a patient. The mixture is then reinjected into the patient such as, for example, in vitro labeling of red blood cells with Tc.sup.99m.
A wet/dry syringe may be required for mixing prepackaged materials.
Known intravenous delivery systems include a common hypodermic syringe and needle, starting a normal saline intravenous drip, maneuvering a three-way stopcock and using a butterfly infusion set. When a common hypodermic syringe and needle is used, a residual amount of radionuclide is left in the syringe, blood may mix in the syringe when introducing lung imaging material, more than one venipuncture is necessary in dual radionuclide studies, and no bolus or bolus flush is available without time delay in flow studies. Starting a normal saline intravenous solution is cumbersome for one person and time consuming. The positive force of injection may cause the needle to pop out of the skin or tubing to disconnect from the intravenous set when using a butterfly infusion set. No bolus or bolus flush is available without time delay in flow studies. Maneuvering a three-way stopcock leaves a residual amount of radionuclide in the syringe, is cumbersome for one person, time consuming, and the positive force of injection may cause the needle to pop out of the skin or tubing to disconnect from the intravenous set. Use of a butterfly infusion set leaves a residual amount of radionuclide in the syringe, is cumbersome for one person, time consuming, may cause the needle to pop out of the skin or tubing to disconnect the intravenous set, due to the positive force of injection, makes a leak possible when changing syringes on the tubing, and no bolus or bolus flush is available without time delay in flow studies.
The principal object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe which has great flexibility in administering two injectable materials through a single venipuncture.
An object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacture of a multipurpose double barrel syringe, which method has few and simple steps.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacture of a multipurpose double barrel syringe, which method is accomplished with facility, rapidity, ease and economy.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacture of a multipurpose double barrel syringe, which method combines the component parts of two commercially available disposable hypodermic syringes and needles.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe which is able to administer two individual injectable materials in rapid succession, using any desired volumes, through a single venipuncture.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe which is easier to handle and has none of the disadvantages of known intravenous delivery systems.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe for use in a variety of dual radiopharmaceutical examinations in which only a single venipuncture is necessary when each cylinder of the syringe contains one of the radionuclides, which examinations include liver and lung imaging, dual-channel pancreatic imaging, dual-isotope method for diagnosis of intracardiac shunts and dual-isotope renal studies.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe for accomplishing a bolus injection with an instantaneous saline flush. It is essential that a compact bolus be delivered into the vascular compartment when performing dynamic flow studies. Although, a spectrum of techniques have been adopted, all agree that expedient administration is a necessity. Rapid delivery may be facilitated when a bolus injection is immediately followed with a saline flush, especially when small volumes for injection are used. The double barrel syringe of the invention accomplishes this when the inner syringe contains the saline flush and the outer syringe the radiopharmaceutical of choice.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe for introducing macroaggregated lung materials. When performing lung perfusion imaging studies, it is important to make a clean injection with little or no blood mixing with the particulate material, or radioactive emboli may form in the syringe. A variety of image artifacts have been documented in the literature due to intersyringe mixing of blood and particulate material. The double barrel syringe of the invention performs venipuncture so that blood enters only one compartment of the syringe and does not have an opportunity to mix with the particulate radiopharmaceutical in the other compartment.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe for following an injectable material with a flushing material, as frequently required in X-ray procedures, where dyes are rapidly injected and pictures taken.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe for administering dual injections, via only one injection or skin puncture, while preventing the two drug contents of the two cylinders from being mixed prior to administration.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe for performing an antagonistic test in which a strong drug is administered to bring on an attack or reaction in a patient for diagnosis of disease administering the antidote or neutralizing agent or drug immediately, via the second, or inner, syringe.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe for immediately administering an intravenous drug to a critically ill patient, with the outer cylinder containing an anticoagulant which keeps the passage to a vein open while the inner cylinder contains the emergency drug ready for introduction.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe in any situation where the use of two syringes is indicated in a relationship where a two or three-way stopcock would be indicated.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe whenever a material must be mixed with blood, and/or incubated, and reinjected into the patient such as, for example, in vitro labeling of red blood cells with Tc.sup.99m. Any material is mixed under totally aseptic conditions, since there is cylinder-to-cylinder mixing without the use of a test tube or any peripheral volumetric containers or tubes.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a multipurpose double barrel syringe which functions as a wet-dry syringe for mixing prepackaged materials.